ITV

Tag: Guiana Space Centre

  • Final Ariane 4 mission on 12 February 2003

    Final Ariane 4 mission on 12 February 2003

    PARIS: The final mission of an Ariane 4 has been given the green light for liftoff following the launch readiness review performed at the Spaceport in French Guiana. The liftoff of Flight 159 is confirmed for 12 February during a one-hour launch window that opens at 7 am GMT, 8 am Paris time.

    The final Ariane 4 mission will mark the 116th launch for the Ariane 4 family, which entered service in 1988. Flight 159’s review validated the readiness of the Ariane 4, its Intelsat 907 telecommunications satellite payload, the Guiana Space Centre’s infrastructure and the downrange tracking stations.

    Flight 159 uses an Ariane 44L version of the family, which is equipped with four large strap-on liquid boosters for additional thrust during liftoff and initial ascent. The upcoming mission will be the 40th flight of an Ariane 44L.

    Intelsat 907 will have a mass of approximately 4,680 kg at liftoff, and is designed for an operational lifetime of 13 years. The spacecraft was built by Space Systems/Loral and carries 76 C-band and 22 Ku-band transponders (in 36 MHz equivalent units).

    Intelsat 907 will be the 23rd Intelsat spacecraft launched by Ariane. During its operational lifetime, the workhorse Ariane 4 launcher family demonstrated Arianespace’s capability to match up and launch multiple spacecraft on a single mission – a procedure that will continue with even larger satellites on the successor Ariane 5.

  • Ariane-5 booster test fired at the Guiana Space Centre

    Ariane-5 booster test fired at the Guiana Space Centre

    An Ariane-5 solid rocket motor (MPS) was test fired on the booster teststand (BEAP) at the Guiana Space Centre, Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, under the Ariane-5 Research and Technology Accompaniment programme, earlier this week.

    ARTA-5 is a European Space Agency programme, the technical and financial management of which is delegated to CNES. Its objectives are to verify that Ariane-5 launcher qualification, reliability and performance levels are maintained and also to qualify modifications resulting from obsolescence or changes in technology. ARTA activities cover the solid rocket motors built by Europropulsion.

    This motor test will serve to qualify Ariane-5 improvements designed to increase launcher lift-capability and get production costs down. Overall planning for the test is built around four main objectives: qualify new procurement sources for one constituent of the propellant, involve use of Amonium Perchlorate produced by the US company Wecco, evaluate the effect of ageing and analyse behaviour on an over 6-year-old rear booster’s segment (S3).

    Other objectives targeted under this test involve simplifying the boosters’ electric ducts and reducing the number of high-pressure capacities needed for each booster’s thrust vector control from two to one. Responsibility for conducting the test has been assigned to CNES, whose role covers stand deployment, supplying the test facilities and conducting operations with Arianespace’s assistance.